Letter: School board candidates cheated by sharing questions

School Board exhibited poor character

EDITOR: In early February, a forum was to be held for four candidates running for the three open seats in the upcoming Wausau School Board election. Before the forum, the questions were inadvertently emailed to some current board members. School Board President Michelle Schaefer then distributed the questions to the incumbent candidates Dale Lawson, Theresa Miles, and Jane Rusch. The questions were not given to challenger Matt Young.

The Wausau Education Association, which was hosting the forum, did withdraw the questions the night before the forum. That's supposed to be the end of it.

Are the actions taken by these board members the type of behavior we want our kids to emulate? Their actions were clearly intended to provide the incumbents with an advantage; to influence the outcome of the election in their favor. It was patently unethical.

Cheating is wrong. If a student did this, she'd be sent to the principal's office. The student's parents would be notified, and would also be expected to teach their child that what she did was wrong, and that such behavior has no place in school or elsewhere.

When asked about the infraction, Schaefer said her years of service on the board speak for themselves. If that service includes unethical behavior, then we need somebody with a functional moral compass to lead the School Board.

Schaefer also said this should have been dealt with internally. That would be tantamount to asking the students to decide their own punishment. Schaefer's statements clearly show that nothing would have been done about this unethical behavior if it hadn't been brought to the media. It's exactly the type of inside dealing that spawns distrust of our public institutions. We have a right to know when officials act unethically so that we can call them to answer for their dirty deeds.

A. J. Gordon,

Wausau

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Letter: School board candidates cheated by sharing questions

EDITOR: In early February, a forum was to be held for four candidates running for the three open seats in the upcoming Wausau School Board election. Before the forum, the questions were inadvertently

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